Do you ever feel like the world is moving so fast around you that it seems impossible to keep up? When this happens to me, it’s usually in combination with feeling stressed and overwhelmed. In contrast, there are other times where life seems to be moving at a slower speed and I feel fully in control. These moments are often accompanied by feelings of joy, bliss, and contentment, with no stress or overwhelm in sight. Thankfully, we have the power to slow down and regain control when life starts moving too quickly. 

Being able to manage our stress levels is a huge contributor to our health. Unfortunately, there are many occurrences in our daily lives that can make us feel stressed as an initial reaction. An example of something that makes me feel quite stressed is handling the tax paperwork and filing for my businesses. 

This is something I’m still new at, and my initial reaction when I don’t know how to do something is to feel stressed and overwhelmed. When I react in this way, it becomes difficult to think, making the entire process even more challenging. 

According to psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl, there is a small moment between when something happens to us and when we respond or react. He says, “Between the stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” 

The difference between a stressful life moving too quickly and a life moving at an enjoyable pace with less stress lies in this tiny space and whether or not we choose to find it, sit in it, and choose a response instead of reacting. 

Reactions to stressful situations are normal. When our bodies perceive we are in danger, they automatically turn on our sympathetic nervous system to prepare us to fight or flight. When this happens, sugar is released and floods our bloodstream, giving us the fuel necessary to run away or fight the danger ahead. 

In most scenarios, like filing my tax paperwork, having an excess of sugar in my bloodstream isn’t going to help me solve the problem. In fact, it causes the front parts of my brain to slow down and therefore makes it even more difficult to think. 

Most stressors in our lives today don’t require us to fight or flight, and so this is where finding the tiny space between the stressful event and our response becomes so powerful. 

If we can find the tiny space between stimulus and response, we have the ability to slow down our parasympathetic response. Actions such as deep breathing or walking away will help calm our bodies down, slow down the release of sugar, and help us think more clearly. When we pause and choose to respond instead of continuing down the path of our initial reaction, we often realize that the situation isn’t as stressful or challenging as we thought. 

Although we can’t fully avoid stressful situations, we can choose how we respond to them and whether or not they ruin our day. Next time you feel life moving too quickly and it’s challenging to think, take a moment to pause in the space, calm your body, and choose a response that’s in alignment with how you want your life to go. We have the power to make that choice, if we can just find the tiny space.

Xoxo

Coach Maggi